Some Streets Lead Nowhere
by ADAHotpants
Summary: Rachel Berry got everything she ever wanted, but in one split second she lost it all. Quinn Fabray, however, never got the only thing she had always wanted. When they meet up years later in an AA meeting, can things be different this time around?


**Chapter 1- Fall Apart Today**

"…Then he left me. I never meant for my drinking to ruin my marriage. It was just social at first, and then I had a few drinks after a hard day at work. Then it turned into every night, and Mark finally decided he had had enough. That was when I realized I had a problem."

The group clapped as the woman finished tearfully speaking, sitting down again only to be patted on the back comfortingly by those sitting next to her.

Quinn bounced her knee and fiddled with her fingers. She was anxious; both about being there and about the fact that she hadn't had a drink in a few hours. Of course she would never admit to the second part.

"Quinn?" Quinn's head snapped up at her name, her eyes wide. "Why don't you tell the group about yourself?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. The "leader" of the group had been picking on her all session, at least, that's what she thought. Sure, it was her first session, and if she was to get technical, it was court-mandated, but that didn't mean that she had to share her life story with a bunch of strangers.

"I'll pass." Quinn shrugged her off bitterly, tapping her foot on the floor.

"It would be really great if you would share something with us today, Quinn." That goddamn leader just wouldn't give up. "Maybe about how you first knew that you had a problem?"

Again, Quinn rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't have a problem. I drank too much one night and crashed my car. The judge said it was this or prison."

"Alright." The leader nodded, humoring her. "Well maybe you could seize this opportunity and just get a few things off your chest. If you say you don't have a problem, then it's possible that you don't. However, we're all here going through the same struggles. It's nice to have a support network outside of the bottle."

Quinn basically ignored her. Sure, she heard her, but she didn't offer an answer. This lady, and this whole group, had no idea who she was or what she had gone through.

Quinn pretty much sprinted to the door when the session was finished, instantly finding her way to the closest bar. She cursed herself when she saw the types of people who were in there; it wasn't exactly the greatest part of town. But Quinn had lost her license after crashing her car while drunk and she didn't want to wait the half an hour taxi ride back to her usual bar.

"Scotch, straight." Quinn ordered the drink with ease, ignoring the raised eyebrow of the bartender.

He placed the drink in front of her and Quinn downed it immediately, tapping the empty glass against the bar and nodding to the bartender to bring her another.

After two hours and more than enough alcohol, the bartender took away her empty glass and shook his head when she asked for another. "No way. I'm cutting you off."

"Hey." Quinn slurred drunkenly. "I'm not done yet."

"Look…" He sighed. "I'll call you a cab and you can sleep it off."

Quinn rolled her eyes and stumbled as she hopped off her stool. "I'll go somewhere else then."

Without another word, Quinn left the bar, completely oblivious to the two men following her. She stumbled down the alley next to the bar, tripping a few times.

"Hey, pretty lady."

Quinn turned around at the slur, slightly annoyed. She honestly thought the bartender had followed her out. She'd be lying if she said the blurry image of the two men didn't sober her slightly.

"I've got mace." Quinn rolled her eyes, continuing walking.

The men caught up to her, sandwiching her between them. "Look, lady, we don't want any trouble." One of them said as the other cornered her up against the wall. "Just give us the purse and we'll leave you alone."

"Like I'm going to believe-"

One of the men backhanded her, catching Quinn off guard. She grabbed her face in pain, going to scream but being stopped by a greasy hand covering her mouth.

The other man grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the brick wall, causing Quinn to stumbled in pain, almost falling into unconsciousness.

She didn't even process as they grabbed her bag, leaving her to collapse against the wall.

The next meeting didn't come soon enough as far as Rachel was concerned. She had missed the last one and she could feel herself slipping.

"I bought a bottle of wine last night." Rachel spoke up, scuffing her foot against the floor as she felt the entire group stare at her. "I came so close to drinking it. I opened it and I could feel everything get better, just from the smell."

"Is that what you think?" The leader's voice wasn't judgmental at all. "That everything will be better if you drink?"

"No…" Rachel answered quietly after a few moments, hesitation in her voice. "Logically I know that it won't make it better. But there's still that moment of weakness when you know that if you drink, it'll feel okay, even if it's just temporary."

The leader nodded, smiling kindly. "You're right. It will feel better in the short term, but it takes a lot of strength to be able to resist that urge." The group began to clap. "Well done, Rachel. We're all very proud of you."

A man stood up to speak after Rachel had sat back down, but he was stopped by the sound of the doors banging open.

Quinn stumbled into the room, partly from her head injury and partly from her hangover. It was clear to everyone that she was a wreck though.

Quinn made her way over to the group, taking an empty seat. All attention turned to her, the group silent as they waited for the leader to speak up.

"Welcome, Quinn. Thank you for joining us."

Quinn didn't look up. She felt a lump form in her throat as she whispered. "I need help."

The leader nodded and squatted down in front of Quinn, taking her hands and smiling reassuringly. "The first step is realizing that you have a problem. You're very brave for coming here today, Quinn."

Quinn didn't say anything. She didn't look up or move. Rachel didn't either, but for a completely different reason. She couldn't believe the sight in front of her. Quinn… Head cheerleader, former Glee club member and former teen mother, Quinn Fabray, was an alcoholic.


End file.
